Cinder-leveler.



E. J. BEST.

GINDEE LBVELER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 15, 1911.

1,026,426. Patented May 14, 1912.

4 SHEETBSHEBT 1.

Fr f

WITNESSES: INVENTOR. W BY E 2/1555 2- ATTORNEY.

COLUMBIA PLANouuAPlI CU WASHINGTON. D C.

E. J. BEST.

CINDER LEVBLER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15,1911.

Patented May 14, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR.

PV/TNESSES:

M 5:55:52 T M ATTORNEY.

COLUMBIA rLANoukAPu CO.,WASIIINOTON. D. c.

E. J. BEST.

GINDER LBVELER.

APPLICATION FILED MAYIB, 1011.

Patented May 14, 1912.

4 SHEET8SHEET 3.

rlllllllil llllllll l l INVENTOR. 52/15:: 2'

lV/TNESSES A TTORN UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN J. BEST, OF ENSLEY, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 FRED KESTLER, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

CINDER-LEVELER.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that I, EDWIN J. BEST, citizen of the United States, residing at Ensley, in the count of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cinder-Levelers, of which the following is a specification. My invention relates to mechanism primarily designed to plow and level cinder or slag on dumps, its object being to dress down the cinder or slag pile so as to allow the track for the cinder cars to be readily moved out to the edge of the dump to provide for additional spilling space.

According to present practice, laborers are used to break and move the sla As the slag or cinder is poured on the dump in a molten condition and will retain its heat for weeks and months even in the summer, it will be evident that when unlimited dumping space does not exist, it is necessary to work the men on the dump While still hot and giving forth gases which are most injurious to health. These most unhygienic conditions greatly increase the labor cost of breaking and leveling slag dumps. I have devised a mechanical breaker and spreader which has dispensed with the labor on the dumps and done the work at half cost.

My invention is mounted on trucks to run on the cinder track and comprises a heavy strong plow-wing carrying a hardened cutting edge at its bottom and provided with novel and effective means to adjust it and brace it against both end and side thrust.

One important feature of my invention is the center hinging of the plow-wing to the side of the car to adjust it to work in either direction.

Another feature is the vertical adjustability of the hinge support for the wing and the provision of means to take the end thrust from the hinge and support it directly from the car in all positions of vertical adjustment of the plow-wing.

Finally my invention comprises the provision on the car to which the plow-wing is attached of special bracing means which not only withstands the strain of driving the plow through the cinder or slag but will permit the wing to be lowered sufficiently to cut the cinder pile down to the level desired for the new track bed so that it is only necessary to throw the track over.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 15, 1911.

Patented May 14, 1912.

Serial No. 627,347.

Though primarily designed for the purposes aforesaid, my invention is equally available for clearing or spreading other material, such as dirt, stone, and heavy soil.

My invention comprises, in its preferred embodiment, the details of construction and arrangement of parts which, without intending to limit myself thereto, are hereinafter more specifically described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an end elevation of a car equipped with slag plow and leveling mechanism. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the apparatus showing the plow elevated. Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the plow-wing and its adjusting and bracing mechanism. Fig. 5 is a detail view in front elevation of the hinged slide to which the plow is pivotally attached. Fig. 6 is a partial plan view of Fig. 5.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar' parts throughout the drawings.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, the plow and leveling apparatus is mounted upon a car 1 which is shown supported on the rails 2 and ties 3 of a standard track. The car body is preferably made of steel and is heavily reinforced at its center opposite the point of attachment of the plow mechanism. The side of the car between the trucks is provided with a drop steel apron 4 which is reinforced by cross beams 5' below the floor of the car. A vertical plate 6 of steel or heavy iron so as to make it rigid, is suitably connected by bolts 7 to the apron 4 and disposed with its bottom edge even with the bottom edge of the apron and its upper edge extending for a considerable distance above the floor of the car. This top portion of the plate 6 is reinforced at intervals by vertical angle irons 8. The angle irons 8 near the sides of 'the plate are connected to short braces 9 while the intermediate angle irons are connected to heavy diagonal reinforcing bars 10. The vertical guide in which the plow member is vertically adjustable, comprises a main body portion 11 formed with a T-groove open to the outside and extending from top to bottom thereof. On each side of the portion 11 are lateral extensions 12 which are connected to the outer walls of the guide by reinforcing integral webs 13.

The lower end of the guide is very strongly and rigidly connected to the plate 6 by bolts 14 which pass through both plate 6 and apron 4 and give a strong and rigid connection of the guide to the car. The plate 6 is extended up to a height to brace the upper end of the guide, the top of which is provided with bolt holes 15 to receive bolts 16 which connect a cap plate 17 over the top of the groove. This cap plate supports a two part hearing sleeve 18. A pin 20 is passed down through the alining openings formed in the spaced lugs 21 that are preferably formed integral. with the guide 22, which is T-shaped in cross section and adapted to make a sliding fit in the groove in the vertical guide 11. The slide 22 is elongated vertically to increase its bearing surface in the guide and is provided with openings 23 between its lugs 21 to receive the lugs 24 on the plow-wing 25. Near 1ts lower end the slide is provided with lateral extensions 26 which are inclined toward the car and are provided near each outer end with an off-set shoulder 27 which is adapted to slidably engage a shoulder 28, one of which is off-set from each extension 12 of the guide and is spaced equi-distantly from the vertical center line thereof. In other I words, the lateral extensions of the slide move in sliding engagement with off-set shoulders 28 of the guide as the slide is adjusted vertically. The plow-wing 25 at the center of its inner face has a series of lugs 24 cast integral therewith and adapted to be inserted between the lugs 21 of the slide and into the openings 23 and to behinged to the slide by the pin 20 which passes down through alining openings in the lugs 21 and 24. The plow-wing is reinforced by horizontal ribs 29 shown in dotted lines (Fig. 3), which extend transversely across its rear face. These ribs support and form part of the bottom lugs 24 which, due to the angular disposition of the lower portion of the wing, are spaced therefrom, as is seenmore clearly in Fig. 3. The wing in front elevation is symmetrical having its bottom edge reinforced and undercut to receive the cutting edge 30,made of special steel to take the wear of cutting through the slag or other material. This cutting edge is secured to the wing by heavy bolts 31, the heads of which are countersunk in the cutting edge. The top portion of the wing is shown vertical and the intermediate portion slopes outwardly at an angle of about 30.

The most important feature to be considered in connection with the plow-wing is the bracing thereof to take care of the end and lateral thrust. I have designed especially effective means for this purpose, which consists in providing the wing on each side of suitably and rigidly fastenedto the wing.

The bearing 31 is set at such an angle to the wing that when one end thereof is swung into operating position against the car, such a bearing face will swing into engagement with an abutment 33 formed at the end of the extension 12 on each side of the guide. These vertical abutments are made long enough to meet the shoulder 31 on the wing in every vertical position in which the wing may beset, and these shoulders 31 being equi-distant from the pivot point of the wing and the abutments 33 being also equi distantly spaced from the center of the guide and accordingly from the pivotal center of the wing, it follows that which ever end of the wing is swung inwardly, the shoulder 31 at that end will engage the ad jacent shoulder 33. The clearance left in the hinging connections is such that the forward shoulder 31 will engage the adjacent abutment 33 and take all the end thrust strain of the cutter wing and thereby relieve the hinge pin of shearing strain and make the wing unusually strong and rigid. being my purpose to set the wing at an angle to the center line of the car, it will be necessary to provide brace means for the outer or rear end of the wing. This is accom-- plished in a simple and effective manner by providing a brace arm 34 which is bifurcated at each end to provide a pair of superposed spaced lugs, which at one end of the brace are adapted to fit over a lug 35 at the end of the adjacent extension 26 on the slide 22, and at the other end to be suitably connected to the web 32 on the rear end of the wing. A detachable pin 37 connects the inner end of the brace 34 to the slide and a detachable pin 38 passes down through the top surface of the wing near its edge and through the web 32 and connects the brace thereto. This pin 38 has its upper end bent over so that it may be readily struck by a tool and knocked up to disconnect the brace from the wing when it is desired to reverse the position of the wing. lVhen this is done the brace is disconnected from the lug 35, to which it had been connected, and is transferred to a similar lug provided on the other extension 26 and when connected thereto is adapted to have its outer end connected to a web 32 at the adjacent wing end. In this manner the lateral thrust strain is readily taken up and the apparatus is greatly simplified by having the brace connected to a part movable wit-h the slide which supports the wing.

The vertical adjustment for the wing can be obtained by any suitable mechanical devices using air, steam, water or electricity as the motive power. As a simple arrangement of the mechanism, however, I have shown a hand operated means comprising a beveled gear 39 which is rotatably mounted in the bearing sleeves 18 and is connected to an internally threaded sleeve 10 which meshes with the screw 19, the lower end of which is connected to the slide 22. A hand Wheel 11 turns a shaft 42 which has mounted on its end a beveled gear 43 which meshes with the gear 39. The shaft 42 turns in bearings 1-1 which at the forward end of the shaft are connected by brace arms 45 to the top of the guide 11 and at their rear the bearings are supported by an iron framework 16 which is mounted on a cross piece 4.7 that rests upon and is bolted to the braces 10. By turning the hand wheel 41 the gear 39 is rotated and acts to raise or lower the screw 19 and with it the slide 22.

In operation, assuming the car to be moving in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 2), the hand wheel is turned to lower the slide and with it the plow-wing into the desired lowered position, such as shown in Fig. 1, in which it will be noted that the cutting edge 30 is disposed on the level with the bottom of the ties 3 and has considerable width so that it will cut a space of such size that the track can be readily thrown over thereon without changing its level. As the car moves forward and the cutting edge 30 engages the slag or material to be moved, the end thrust strain is transmitted from the forward shoulder 31 to the forward abutment 33 and the lateral strain is taken by the brace 34: between the rear extension 26 of the slide and the rear lug 36 on the wing. In adjusting the wing to different heights it will be noted that the shoulder 31 on the wing and the shoulder 27 on the slide extension both remain in engagement with the vertical shoulders or abutments 33 and 28 respectively, and I thus provide this strong and rigid bearing means in all operating positions. When it is desired to reverse the guide wing and cause it to cut as the car is moved in the reverse direction to the arrow, Fig. 2, the pins 37 and 38 are knocked out and the brace 34 removed, after which the wing is free to be swung about its pivot pin 20 so that it assumes an angle facing in the reverse direction to that shown in Fig. 4, when the rear shoulder 31 thereof engages the rear abutment 33 and the brace 34 is transferred to the other end of the wing. WVhen it is desired to transport the equipment the brace 34 may be removed and the wing moved into parallelism with the side of the car and held rigidly in this position by any suitable means.

While I regard many of the features of construction which have been particularly described, as important, I do not desire to be limited thereto but desire to claim such equivalent devices as will carry into effect the novel features of construction and operation which I have described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A plow and leveler of the character described comprising a car, a vertical guide thereon formed by a heavy metal plate con nected near its center to the side of the car, means to brace said plate to the car, a slide adjustable in said guide and having a lateral brace member, a bearing whichsaid brace slidably engages, and a plow-wing connected to said slide and set at an angle to the side of the car, substantially as described.

2. A plow and leveler of the character described comprising a car, a vertical guide plate rigidly attached to the side of the car, a slide adjustable in a vertical slideway in said guide plate and having a laterally disposed integral brace member on each side, rigid bearings with which said braces slidably engage, a plow-wing formed by a rigid body centrally hinged to said slide and adjustable to face in reverse directions, and means to brace said wing at an angle to the side of the car and facing in the direction of its movement, substantially as described.

3. A plow and leveler of the character described, comprising a car body, a vertical guide member rigidly attached to the car body at the side, a centrally hinged rigid plow wing mounted in said guide, means to vertically adjust said wing, an elongated vertical abutment disposed on each side of the pivot point of the wing and formed by a metal plate rigidly bolted to the side of the car, shoulders at each end of the plow wing which is adapted to be set at an angle to the side of the car with the shoulder at its forward end engaging in all operating positions of said wing the adjacent vertical abutment on the side of the car to transfer the end thrust thereto, and means to brace the rear end of the wing from the car body against lateral thrust.

1. A plow and leveler of the character described eomprising a car, a vertical guide plate rigidly connected and braced to the side of the car body, a slide, means to adjust said slide vcrtically in the guide in said plate, a rigid plow-wing hinged near its center to said slide and having shoulders at each end, vertical bearing plates rigidly attached to the side of the car and disposed on each side of said guide, said wing being set normally at an angle to the side of the car with the forward one of its shoulders adapted to engage the forward bearing edge of the forward bearing plate in the several adjusted positions of the plow wing, there being sufficient lost-motion in the hinge joint of said wing to permit of said abut-ment relieving the hinge of end thrust, and means to brace the rear end of the wing against lateral thrust in its angular position with relation to the car, substantially as. described.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a car, a vertical guide member rigidly attached to the car and suitably braced, a slide member vertically adjustable in the guide and having a laterally projecting brace arm, a plow-wing hinged near its center to an intermediate portion of said slide and disposed at an angle to the side of the car, means to brace the inner forward end of the plow, a connection from said lateral brace arm to the outer rear end of the plow-wing to brace the latter against lateral thrust, and a member spaced from said guide which said arm slidably engages and is braced thereby, substantially as described.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, a car, a vertical metal guide plate rigidly attached to the side of the car, a slide adapted to move up and down the guide in said plate and having laterally projecting brace arms which slidably engage off-set integral portions of the guide plate, a plow-wing hinged near its center to said slide and adapted to be set at an angle facing to the front or the rear, and a de taehable brace adapted to connect the outer end of the wing to the adjacent project-ion on the slide, substantially as described.

7. A plow and leveler of the character de scribed, comprising a car body, a vertically disposed metallic apron rigidly attached to the side of the car, a vertical guide member attached at its lower end to said apron and at its upper end to lateral brace means, a slide and means to adjust same in said guide, a rigid plow wing substantially cen trally hinged to said slide and adapted to be faced either to the front or the rear, a shoulder on the forward end of said wing which is adapted to engage a vertical olfset on said guide member, and means to brace the rear end of the plow wing against lateral thrust.

8. A plow and leveler of the character described comprising a car, a vertical member attached to the side of the car and comprising a vertical guide along its center and off-set shoulders spaced from said guide and disposed on each side thereof and in paralle-lism therewith, .a slide member movable in said guide and having lateral brace members with inturned'projections which are adapted to slidably engage said ofi-set shoulders, means to adjust the slide vertically, and a plow-wing attached to the slide and set at an angle to the side of the car, substantially as described.

9. A plow and leveler of the character de scribed comprising a car, a vertically disposed guide member attached at the side of the car and having a T-groove therein forming a vertical slot and having at each side off-set port-ions, a slide vertically adjustable in said guide and having lateral braces adapted to engage said off-set portions, a plow-wing hinged to said slide and adapted to swing horizontally, a vertical abutment at each side of the guide so positioned that the forward end of the wing, according to its angular adjustment and direction of movement, will swing into interlocking engagement with one of said abutments, and means to brace the rear end of the wing from the car, substantially as described.

10. A plow and leveler of the character detransverse braces leading from above and 7 below the car body to said guide to rigidly brace it, a slide member movable insaid guide, means to vertically adjust said slide member in the guide, a plow-wing attached near its center to the slide and disposed at an angle 'to the side of the car, means to brace the outer end of the wing in its angular position to the car, and a vertical 7 abutment with which the inner forward end of the plow makes sliding engagement to take the end thrust thereon said vertical abutment being held rigidly against end thrust by the supporting and bracing means for the guide member, substantially as described.

11. In an apparatus of the character described, a car, a plow-wing adapted to be disposed at an angle to the side of the car, a vertically adjustable slide to which said wing is loosely hinged, means to vertically adjust the slide, and a vertical abutment formed by a metal plate rigidly bolted to the side of the car and with which a portion of the forward end said wing in its vertically adjusted positions engages, there being sufiicient lost-motion in the hinge connections to permit said abutment to take the end thrust strain ofl the hinge, substantially as described.

12. In an apparatus of the character described, a car body, a depending metallic apron rigidly attached to the side members of the frame, a metallic guide member bolted to said apron and braced to the car, there being parallel abutments supported from said apron and car body and which are parallel with the guide in said guide member and disposed on each side thereof, and a swinging plow member vertically adjustable in said guide member and provided with off-set shoulders, one or the other of which is adapted to engage one of said abutments, said plow member comprising a rigid metallic frame disposed at an angle to its horizontal plane of movement and provided on its rear face with horizontal reinforcing ribs and projections carrying said bearing shoulders, substantially as described.

13. In an apparatus of the character described, a plow member comprising a metal plate disposed at an angle to its horizontal plane of movement, longitudinal reinforcing ribs extending horizontally lengthwise of said Wing and at the rear thereof, and rearwardly projecting abutment shoulders at each end of the wing which are disposed with their bearing faces at an angle to each other, said reinforcing ribs increasing in width from top to bottom of the inclined portion of the plow, substantially as described.

14:. In an apparatus of the character described, a reversible plow wing comprising a plate disposed at an angle to its horizontal plane of movement and having rear reinforcing members which extend lengthwise thereof and increase in width from top to bottom of the plate, a vertically disposed hinge pin adapted to pass down through said several reinforcing members, an adjustable hinged support which said pin also engages, rearwardly extending shoulders near each end of the Wing, each of which has a bearing face disposed at an angle to the wing, and a car carrying guide means for the wing and off-set shoulders with which said bearing faces are adapted to engage, as and for the purposes described.

15. In an apparatus of the character described, a car body, a depending metallic apron rigidly attached to the side members of the frame, a metallic guide member bolted to said apron and braced to the car, there being a parallel abutment supported from said apron and car body and which is parallel with the guide in said guide member, and a plow member vertically adjustable in said guide member and provided with an off-set bearing shoulder which is adapted to slidably engage said abutment as the wing is vertically adjusted and to transfer the end thrust strain direct to the body of the car, said plow member comprising a rigid metallic frame disposed at an angle to its horizontal plane of movement and provided with a horizontal rearwardly extending rib which carries said bearing shoulder on the wing, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

